Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I recent had the occasion to meet April at a coffee shop in Ann Arbor to discuss the world of online art marketing and her photography in particular. For nearly three hours we jabbered away about art, life, social issues, and the challenges of being a self supporting photographer in a saturated art market. What I can tell you is this: In addition to being “Unique, Unconventional and Unusual”, April is open, honest, and strives to use her medium for a message, often forgoing what may have mass market appeal for the provocative. She is forward thinking and forward looking, constantly searching for ways to push her limits technically and artistically.

I was first introduced to her work via a Facebook posting she made on our American Frame page, a pithy compliment that led me to see who she was.

Like many in the art world, April is a self taught photographer, drawn to illustrative photography, because “all pieces have a story”. She most proudly identifies herself as a Dark Art photographer and enjoys creating images which connect people on the most visceral level. During our meeting we critiqued her most recent works She’s Dead - a collection of photographs based on a poem written by the model in this series, Shannon Waite. The photos are ethereal, beautiful and at the same time; well...quite disturbing.

I was curious about how these effects were achieved. The amount of preparation involved in ‘dressing’ the model and creating the shots was particularly amazing to me. Apparently they went through lots of Saran Wrap, Snow Frost Sparkle Flakes (created by Silver Rain Studio) and a mixture of various colors of cream makeup to achieve the effect of a highly stylized frozen corpse. Prints from the She’s Dead series, along with selected prints from the entire Dark Art line, will be shown in 5 different gallery exhibits, held in 4 different states (KY, CA, FL & WI), throughout the Halloween season. So far, the reaction from the horror community has been strong so she is enjoying a ‘crazy busy’ schedule with several more Dark Art shoots in the works. This line will continue to grow and evolve.

As a sucker for fabulous architectural photography, I am personally attracted to her Fine Art Portfolio which includes shots of old Michigan Central Train Station in Detroit. Through the use of natural light and a wide angle lens, April is able to present these buildings in their glory, as relics of the life they used to have. Although the buildings happen to be in Detroit , she illustrates a phenomenon felt all around the nation most profoundly in recent years with economic hardship and acceptance of our ‘new normal’. Like those train stations, the old ways are probably not coming back any time soon. As a mid-western girl, this message hits home for me, literally and figuratively.

So, how did she get these photos? This question cracked her up! “I promise - I didn’t break any laws! I put my camera inside the fence that clearly marks the properties as completely off limits. Everything else is my secret!”

As we wrapped up our interview, I asked April if there was anything else she might want our readers to know about her. Again, she just laughed and expressed how she really appreciates it when people buy her art. Well, guess what! You can! Visit her gallery and take advantage of the sale prices she has posted while featured on our site.